BARBOUR DEPT B INTRODUCING CAPT. PHILLIPS

I recently visited the Dutch agent of Barbour, and had a sneak peek at the Fall/Winter 2014

collection. The Barbour Heritage Line also called Dept. B, (which was an area of Barbour’s factory that specialised in customisation and repairs.) brings homage to Capt. Phillips.

Captain George Phillips took command of the submarine HMS Ursula in 1937. Submariners wore general Royal Navy issue clothing, and he felt dissatisfied with the existing protective clothing. Through observing one of his crew wearing a one piece Barbour suit, he privately approached Barbour and commissioned a modification of a one-piece suit into a new two-piece design of jacket and separate trousers. This prototype was produced at Captain Phillips' own expense for the crew of his own submarine, HMS Ursula. Captain Phillips is indeed wearing the jacket of his design in the photograph above dated 1939.

This small capsule has some great looking jackets with nautical details and what to think about a beacon in the cloth. Down Periscope, where going under.

PLEASED TO MEET - ALESSANDRO SQUARZI

Alessandro Squarzi aka The Man in the White Pants. 

Founder and director of the Alessandro Squarzi consultancy in Bologna, Mr Squarzi has a leader of men’s style since he founded the company in 1992. Described by Tommy Ton as “THE master of Italian sprezz”, he’s snapped by street style photographers around the world and always captures our attention, as he incrementally pushes the boundaries of design.

It’s Alessandro’s mixture of classic European style with contemporary cut that makes his style so interesting. Wearing a traditional wool blazer with a beanie hat or unbuttoning his gingham check shirt to reveal wooden beads are just two examples of his personalised take on style. Whether it’s an overcoat slung over his shoulders or an oversized scarf wrapped around his neck, he’s consistently a gentlemen to be admired.

BYE BYE WINTER - HELLO SPRING

Preppy New New England Style

Today, it has been the first beautiful day of the year and you smell the spring already.

This weather makes you hunger for those summery fabrics like madras, oxford, seersucker for suits and light weight cotton cable knits. I found these pictures in the March 2014 issue of GQ, English actor Theo James was photographed by Carter Smith.

M.NII MAKAHA SHORTS - THE STORY CONTINUES

During my visit to Capsule Paris I bumped into Matty Moeck who enthusiastically presented me the M.Nii collection.  The story of M.Nii goes back to the 50's on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The village Makaha was a surfer's paradise on the west side of the island. Down the road, at a mom-and pop tailor shop called M.Nii, some of the first surf trunks were made. First local wave riders brought their "baggies" to M.Nii's for repairs. Recognizing the need for durability and comfort M.Nii built simple trunks made specifically for surfing. With feedback from some of the best surfers of that era, he added stripes, wax pockets, patches. They earned a nickname the "Makaha Drowner".

Today it's a full collection with of course the surf shorts but also shirts, Tees, Sweaters, trousers and even blazers styles which "the Duke" would had love to wear. You can find M.Nii @ Barney’s, Steven Alan, Ron Herman, Beams Japan. Let the summer start and let the waves hit the shore, I'm ready.

INSPIRING INDUSTRIAL ROOMS

I love the factory-style windows & doors in these rooms. The combination of the white crisp walls and a concrete or a rugged wooden floor make those rooms very masculine.

pics via Interior Junkie

CALIFORNIA SURFING AND CLIMBING IN THE FIFTIES

While Jack Kerouac was on the road, a new generation of casually stylish, deeply tanned daredevils were test-piloting the first modern surfboards.  Heavy balsawood boards were replaced with lightweight ones crafted from polyurethane foam, fiberglass and resin. Meanwhile, climbers descended on Tahquitz Rock in the south and Yosemite Valley to the north to test handcrafted equipment that would set new standards for safety, technique and performance. They're celebrated in California Surfing and Climbing in the Fifties. The book features 102 photographs that capture legends-surfer Bev Morgan at play in Malibu waves, rock climber Warren Harding ascending El Captain - back when they were just kids with an itch for adventure.